The boy they call the ‘Messi of Chess’ achieved a milestone result at the ‘Legends and Prodigies’ tournament, held in Madrid last month. Eleven-year-old Faustino Oro, from Argentina, won the tournament with 7.5/9, thereby achieving his first grandmaster-level performance. The requirement is for three such results before the title is awarded. But in Madrid he cleared the bar with room to spare, and becomes the youngest player ever to achieve an international rating above the symbolic 2500 level, approximately grandmaster standard. Since 2021, the youngest player to qualify was Abhimanyu Mishra, at 12 years and four months.
Energetic middlegame play against a young Spanish master set the scene for an elegant finish.
Faustino Oro–Diego Macias Pino
Legends & Prodigies, September 2025
1 e4 c5 2 c3 Nf6 3 e5 Nd5 4 Bc4 Nb6 5 Bb3 d6 6 exd6 e6 7 Nf3 Bxd6 8 O-O Nc6 9 d4 O-O 10 dxc5 Bxc5 11 Qe2 Nd5 12 Rd1 Qb6 13 Bc2 h6 14 a3 Natural, but missing a quirky tactic: 14 b4! wins knight and bishop for rook: Be7 15 b5 Na5 16 Rxd5 exd5 17 Qxe7. Rd8 15 b4 Be7 16 c4 Nf6 17 Rxd8+ Qxd8 18 Bb2 a5 19 b5 Nb8 20 Nbd2 Nbd7 21 Rd1 Qc7 22 Ne4 Kf8 23 c5! A far-sighted pawn sacrifice. Bxc5 Black will miss this dark squared bishop, but 23…Nxc5 was no better, e.g. 24 Be5 Qb6 25 Rd6 is one good option, and then 25…Qa7 26 Nxf6 Bxf6 27 b6 Qa6 28 Qd2 with decisive threats. 24 Nxc5 Qxc5 25 Rc1 Qd6 26 h3 Nd5 27 Qd3 N7f6 28 Ne5 Bd7 29 Rd1 Be8 30 a4! This pawn push, which introduces the threat of Bb2-a3 (since the Nd5 is pinned), also turns out to be useful for the combination which ends the game. Qe7 30…Qc5! was more stubborn, intending counterplay with Nd5-b4. 31 Ng4 Qc7 32 Be5 Qb6 33 Qa3+ Kg8 (see diagram) 34 Nxh6+! gxh6 35 Qg3+ Kf8 If 35…Kh8 36 Rd4 (preparing Rd4-h4) Qc5 37 Rxd5 is the simplest win. 36 Bd6+ Ne7 37 Bxe7+ Black resigns in view of 37…Kxe7 38 Qa3+ with mate to follow.
Two rounds later, Oro showed his sharp tactical eye against an experienced Argentinian grandmaster who now represents Spain. Pichot made a mistake in playing 29…Rc2-a2.
Faustino Oro–Alan Pichot
Legends & Prodigies, September 2025
30 Rb1! Qe8 If 30…Qxb1 31 Qa8+ leads to mate along the back rank. 31 Qd6 The direct threat is 32 Qxd7, using the back rank mate idea again. But the queen also supports a future Rb1-b8. Even with time to prepare, Black cannot avoid losing material. Rc2 32 Bc5 h5 33 Rb8 Bc8 34 Qc7 Qxa4 35 Qxc8+ Kh7 36 Qf5 Kh6 37 Be7 A neat finish, threatening mate starting with Qg5+. Or 37… Nxe7 38 Rh8 is also mate, so Black resigns
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